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Late afternoon sun over Slim Lake, scattering a bright path across wind-textured water

Cleaner Lakes Than Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds

4 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.

Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds carries a Grade D (Nutrient-rich) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Lowell Lake (Windham County, Grade A, 15.7 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated
1
A

Lowell Lake

Windham County, Vermont · 15.7 mi from Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds
  • +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
  • ++9.2 ft water clarity
  • +Lower phosphorus (8.2 vs 35.4 µg/L)
2
A

Rescue Lake

Windsor County, Vermont · 17.1 mi from Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds
  • +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
  • ++10.8 ft water clarity
  • +Lower phosphorus (10.7 vs 35.4 µg/L)
3
B

Reservoir Pond

Windsor County, Vermont · 16.4 mi from Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds
  • +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
  • ++10.4 ft water clarity
  • +Lower phosphorus (6.2 vs 35.4 µg/L)
4
C

Lake Runnemede

Windsor County, Vermont · 14.8 mi from Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds
  • +Higher grade (D → C)
  • ++3.9 ft water clarity
  • +Lower phosphorus (22.9 vs 35.4 µg/L)

Reading the cohort

4 cleaner lakes sit within 30 miles of Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds in the EPA water-quality dataset. With that many higher-grade neighbors close by, Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds's Grade D reflects something specific to the lake itself — not a regional water-quality ceiling. The neighbor list below isn't a small set of marginal upgrades; it's a real cohort of meaningfully cleaner choices for the same Vermont weekend.

The nearest cleaner alternative — Lowell Lake in Windham County — sits 15.7 miles from Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds, putting it firmly in "destination trip" rather than "neighborhood swap" range. The water-quality gap has to be the deciding factor; for a casual outing, Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds is the practical choice and the cleaner options are reserved for purpose-specific visits.

Lakes are graded A to F on nutrients and algae — total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity — measured against the EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 condition classes for that lake's own ecoregion, so a lake is judged against the lakes it would naturally resemble. A higher letter reflects measurably lower nutrient and algae levels, not subjective beauty or access quality — a Grade A lake might have worse boat-launch facilities or shoreline access than a Grade C neighbor, so the ranking is one input alongside the rest of trip planning. The full grading formula is on our methodology page.

How this list is built

Rated lakes on LakeQuality have a letter from EPA Water Quality Portal samples — nutrients and algae measured against EPA National Lakes Assessment ecoregion classes. Secchi is shown, not scored. To suggest cleaner alternatives, we filter lakes within 30 miles to those with a strictly higher numeric score, then rank by grade improvement with a small proximity tiebreak. Cross-state and limited-data lakes are excluded so the list stays locally relevant.

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